A Hero to All
by I Can Craft-It
Summary: Felix visits Ralph's newly built home in Niceland, and they have a heart to heart discussion about the Turbo/Cybug incident


It had been a long day at the arcade, as Fridays usually were. When the day was done, Ralph promptly wiped off the mud from his overalls, gave and even received compliments on a good days work, and was off to the shack beside the dump that he now called home.

The shack was nothing particularly special, but Ralph had built it himself, and it was good enough. Of course, he had built it to fit his very large stature, and he included all the necessary accommodations. A bed, a couch, a kitchen, bathroom; when he really thought about it, he was really proud of his handiwork. He never really was the type of person to build or create. That was Felix's job.

Ralph had just set himself down on the couch in his small living room, sipping a glass of water when a knock came at the door. With a bit of a sigh Ralph heaved himself up, leaving the glass on a makeshift coffee table and opened the door. Looking down he saw Felix standing there, his hat removed and in his hands in front of his chest.

"Oh, hey Felix…What's up?"

While he and everyone in Niceland had become good friends through the whole Turbo incident, Ralph still was trying to get used to interacting with them all of the time now. All of those years of seclusion took a big toll on his social skills.

"Evenin' brother!" Felix smiled brightly, putting his cap back on. "I just thought that I'd come by and see how things are holding up." Felix's eyes shifted to the outside of the shack, noticing things that were problematic with the structure. But he knew Ralph had built this himself, and he wasn't about to go fixing anything unless he was asked to. Ralph caught onto Felix's nervous glances.

"Eh, well. Nothings fallen apart yet so I think it'll be fine." Ralph tried to emphasize his point by patting the doorframe he stood in. Though it backfired, causing a couple of loose bricks to shift. Ralph flinched a bit and looked to the handy man. Felix bit his tongue, and after a couple of moments Ralph straightened himself, pretending that it was no big deal. "See? It was just settling…have I given you a tour yet?"

"I don't believe you have, Ralph," Felix said politely.

"I'll show you around." Ralph reached and pressed a hand to the superintendants back and ushered him in. Felix stood and smiled as Ralph showed off his handiwork. He was so enthusiastic about everything, and he even showed Felix that he had made working cabinets that opened and closed, drawers, a comfortable bed; he saved the living room for last. Ralph had practically picked up Felix by the back of his collar and plopped him down on one of the couch cushions.

"Now tell me that isn't the most comfortable couch you've ever sat on." Ralph wasn't exaggerating, his couch was very comfortable, and even reminded Felix of his daddy's chair, and how he'd always try to sneak his tush into it when he wasn't around. Felix sighed and settled himself on the cushion when he looked up at the wall across from them.

"Jiminy jaminy…" hung on the wall was a large, bright and shiny medal with a blue ribbon. In the middle, the word 'Hero' was engraved. Felix hopped up took take a closer look. "Is this the medal from 'Hero's Duty'? I thought you had given that back to Tamora." Felix lightly touched the golden object and turned his head to Ralph. The giant rubbed the back of his neck and sat down on the couch.

"Well, I tried to, but she told me to keep it. Said I had earned it." Felix chuckled a bit.

"She's a real sweetheart, isn't she?"

"When she's not punching you in the face, yeah, I guess Sarge is alright."

A few awkward moments passed as Felix continued to admire the medal, letting it glint in the light. Finally, he let it rest back in its place and rested his hands on his tool belt.

"You sure are right, Ralph. This medal does make all of mine wet their pants."

Ralph cringed, and looked at the floor with mild embarrassment.

"Uh…Listen, Felix. When I said that… I was just really upset with-"

"But this one…"

Ralph looked up and Felix's attention was brought to a second medal that was hanging right beside the other. It was the medal Vanellope had made him.

"Well, this one just takes the cake, don't it?"

Ralph couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"Yeah, it does."

"'You're my Hero'…" Felix read aloud the words the young racer had written with icing and smiled. "You did a really good thing, Ralph. Helping her out. Bless her little heart."

Felix brought his hand up to further examine the medal, but paused. "May I?" He asked.

"Go ahead." Ralph shifted on the couch and twiddled his thumbs. Felix flipped the cookie-medal around carefully and let it rest in his gloved hand. "'To Stinkbrain?'"

"My nickname…I didn't choose it." Ralph said matter-of-factly, shrugging. Felix laughed as he placed the medal back against the wall and suddenly looked as if he was in deep thought.

"You know, Ralph. You did so much for a lot of people, including me. And…well, I felt that I should to give you a little something to show my appreciation as well."

"Felix you don't have to give me any-"

"And I'm not sure how it's goin' to hold up against these little honeys." The handyman gestured to Ralph's medals on the wall while he opened up the flap of the nail pouch on his too belt. "But… I'd like you to have this," he opened his hand to reveal a small medal with a red ribbon.

"You're giving me…one of your medals?" Ralph swallowed, fighting back the sudden surge of emotions.

"The first one I ever got." Felix touched the medal affectionately with a finger with a bittersweet smile. "Took the gamers about a week to get it." Felix sat next to Ralph on the couch as he remembered.

"I remember the little boy who was the first to earn it. He was so determined. All the other kids would walk away after one 'Game Over', or after causing me to lose a life…But that one little boy just kept on trucking. Do you remember that, Ralph?"

"Heh, yeah. I gave him a real run for his money." Ralph smiled and ran a hand through his hair.

"Back in 'Sugar Rush' with Turbo and the Cybugs…You reminded me of that boy, Ralph. No matter what was thrown your way, you never gave up. And then you went one step further and were willing to sacrifice your life to save everyone else's." Felix's eyes glimmered when he looked up at Ralph. "This medal is yours now, Ralph." Felix passed the medal to Ralph and he looked at it. On the front, the engraving had been fixed to read 'Ralph' instead of 'Felix.' The handy man prompted him to turn the medal over, and on the back read 'a hero to all.' Ralph swallowed and took a deep breath, letting things sink in. Silence filled the air and Felix fidgeted as Ralph looked at the medal.

"I know it isn't much, but-"

"No, Felix. This…this means a lot more to me than you'd ever know… Thank you."

Felix let out a small sigh of relief. "No, thank you, brother. You really turned my world upside down. In the good way, of course." Both laughed, and Ralph stood up, grabbed a nail from a box on top of the coffee table and used a lone brick as a hammer to drive it into the wall beside Vanellope's medal and hung up the newest addition to his proud collection.

He stood back a bit, Felix now standing beside him, and shook his head in approval.

Three medals from three very dear friends. Who could ever ask for more?


End file.
